As the Israeli government continues to hand over territory
and towns to the Palestinian authorities, one little grave site
outside of Bethlehem caused a political fury across Israel and
almost toppled over the government. This was the Tomb of Rachel,
one of the four Matriarchs.

Let us glimpse at the importance of this site in Midrashic
and Talmudic lore, as well as from a historical perspective.

One thing, however, stands out. The Tomb of Rachel is not
a place of military strategic importance. Its relevance is solely
spiritual. The depth of such a spiritual fountain is felt by most
Jews, regardless of their religious commitment and, like the Western
Wall in Jerusalem, it represents in a physical sense a basic tenet
of our faith.

OUR MATRIARCH RACHEL

Rachel grew up in a generation of decadence some
3,500 years ago, yet maintained her integrity, purity, and righteousness.
Her father Laban is stereotyped "the wicked", an epitaph
he earned as an idolater, a liar and as a ruthless person. His
only redeeming factor was his lineage, which connected him to
the house of Abraham. Laban's brother-in-law was Isaac, yet he
never learned the path of righteousness from him, nor from his
son-in-law Jacob who lived with him for several decades. The influence
of these two pillars of Judaism bounced right off Laban. Somehow,
Rachel and her sister, Leah, remained insulated from his influence.

The stories of Rachel's marriage to Jacob and the
two children she bore him are recorded in the Bible (Genesis,
chapters 29-31). She died in childbirth outside Bethlehem on the
11th of Cheshvan, 2198 (1560 BCE). She was probably thirty-six
years old. Jacob buried her by the roadside, and placed a stone
monument over her grave.

JOSEPH PRAYS AT
HER GRAVE

Joseph, who was seven years old when his mother died,
was sold into slavery ten years later. On his way to Egypt, when
the caravan passed Bethlehem, he escaped and ran to his mother's
grave.

"Don't be afraid," he heard his mother's
voice answer him. "Go with them, and may the L-rd be with
you."

Consoled and strengthened, Joseph voluntarily returned
to the caravan.

This Midrash is one of the earliest sources
we have about praying at the grave of a righteous person. Joseph's
behavior, however, appears questionable since it is forbidden
to speak directly to the dead. However there are two permitted
ways to pray by the grave of a tzaddik (a righteous person).
The first way is to ask that G-d should answer our prayers in
the merit of the tzaddik buried here; and the second way
is that the soul of the tzaddik should intercede on our
behalf before the Heavenly court. Joseph, in the midst of a great
dilemma, was beseeching his mother to intercede for him in Heaven
and alter the harsh decree upon him. Thus his act was permitted
by Jewish Law. Rachel, from her side, was granted permission to
answer his prayers to give him the courage he needed to face the
future. As we know, his future in Egypt played a dramatic role
in the history of our people.

THE ETERNAL MOTHER

Of all the Matriarchs, Rachel stands out as the loving
mother of her children throughout the generations. The Midrash
relates at length how, at the destruction of the first Temple,
the Patriarchs pleaded in vain before the Heavenly court to show
mercy on the wayward Jews. The ears of Heaven remained deaf until
Rachel entreated on their behalf: "Master of the Universe!
Be as forbearing as me. You know how I much Jacob loved me and
how hard he worked to marry me. Yet on the wedding night my father
switched me with Leah. I did everything in my power to help her
so that she would not be discovered and ashamed forever. Now,
Oh merciful King, though my children have sinned, exiled and punished,
stop and have mercy on them." Immediately, G-d said: "For
you, Rachel, I shall return them from exile." So the verse
says, "Thus says the L-rd, A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation
and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused
to be comforted for her children, because they are not" (Jeremiah
31:14).

When Boaz took Ruth for a wife, the Sanhedrin blessed
them with these words, "May the L-rd make the woman who is
coming into your house like Rachel and like Leah" (Ruth 4:11).
Although Boaz and the Sanhedrin were descendants of Leah, they
agreed that Rachel was the mainstay of the house, and thus mentioned
her name first.

THE TOMB

Over the generations, the edifice above her grave
has changed numerous times. At some unknown time, an open-walled
canopy type shelter was erected of stone and mortar. At other
times the monument consisted of twelve stones, representing the
twelve tribes.

In 1841, Sir Moses Montefiore gained permission from
the Turkish authorities to restore the tomb. He built the large,
two-room building that we know today. A month before he died,
in Tamuz, 1885, Sir Montefiore pledged to have it renovated. It
was his final gift to Eretz Yisroel.

In 1864, the Sefardi Jews of Bombay donated the sum
necessary to dig a well. Even though Rachel's Tomb is only an
hour and a half walk from the Old City of Jerusalem, many pilgrims
found themselves very thirsty and unable to obtain fresh water.
The Rishon l'Tzion, (The Chief Rabbi), Rav Chazan, wrote a warm
letter of congratulations to them for their support.

In the last six months, the tomb has been expanded
and fortified in keeping with the political peace process. Along
the main street, a long and high stone wall buffers between the
tomb and the main road. It is designed with indented arches to
give it a more romantic touch. Inside, the building containing
the tomb has been broken open on all four sides in the form of
huge arches, and a new outer wall has been constructed. This is
the first major change since Montefiore build his structure in
1841!

Into the 20th century, the tomb was locked around
the clock. Anyone, however, who wished to go and pray there could
get the key from the famous courtyard in the Old City called Churvas
Rabbi Yehuda, and there the beadle would escort him to the tomb
and open it.

Once a handful of Gentiless succeeded in stealing
the heavy, flat gravestone which they needed for their new church.
The next morning it had disappeared from their hands, only to
be found miraculously back in its proper place.

THE SCARLET THREAD
&AMP; THE SPECIAL KEY

There is an ancient tradition -- a segulah (a charm)--
to tie a scarlet thread around one's neck or wrist as a protection
against all kinds of dangers, especially for pregnant women. Before
the thread may be used, it must first be wound around the Tomb
of Rachel. This transforms the simple thread into a special segulah
whose validity has been proven over and over again. Even today,
one can find women circling the tomb with a scarlet thread in
their hands.

Why specially is this done only at her tomb? The
answer probably lies in the fact that she is our "eternal
mother," caring for us when we are ill. Also, was it not
Rachel who felt the trauma of birth pangs until her last breath,
and is therefore the perfect mediator for a pregnant woman, especially
when she goes into the delivery room.

The key that unlocked the tomb was extraordinary.
Some fifteen centimeters long, the brass key was made by Reb Zalman
of Jerusalem in such a way that the lock was unbreakable. The
beadle kept it with him at all times. It was not uncommon that
someone would knock at his door in the middle of the night.

"Please," came the voice of someone at
the door. "So-and-so is having strong labor pains. We need
the key."

As soon as he would give the key, the person would
dash to the bedside of the expectant mother and place the key
under her pillow. Immediately the pains would subside and the
delivery would take place peacefully.

PILGRIMS AND PRAYERS

Rachel's tomb has equal status with Machpelah
(the Tombs of the Patriarchs) as the oldest place of prayer. Pilgrims
stopped by her tomb on their way to and from Jerusalem on their
way to Hebron and Egypt hundreds of years before King Solomon
built the Temple. In fact, pilgrims came regularly from as far
away as Damascus and the Euphrates valley to pour their hearts
out to G-d at Rachel Tomb and the Machpelah.

Today the tourists make this a routine stop, and
the flow of genuine pilgrims is a daily occurrence.

Following is part of a prayer which may be recited
when visiting her tomb.

Oh Merciful King! I have come to pray at Tomb
of Rachel our Matriarch. Let her good acts stand in my steed,
especially her heartfelt prayers to You when she was barren which
You answered. In her merit please answer my prayers and the prayers
of my fellow Jews. Listen to what I utter before You, and fulfill
my inner most needs.

Jacob buried Rachel on the roadside and not in
Bethlehem so that she could come to the assistance of her children's
children at the destruction of the first Temple. Then You hearkened
and returned us after seventy years. But now, with a galus of
over 1900 years since the destruction of the second Temple, we
plead that You will again hearken to her prayers....

The Zohar (The Mystical Book of Splendor)
says, When will the Jewish people return from galus? At the time
of the redemption, and then the Shechina (the presence
of G-d) will rest on Tomb of Rachel.

The author, Dovid Rossoff, resides in Jerusalem over twenty-five
years. He has written Land of Our Heritage, Safed: The Mystical
City, and The Tefillin Handbook, among others. He is
currently writing a Jewish history of Jerusalem from the Crusader
period until the present.